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Fitchburg tops rival, clinches playoff berth

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
02/02/2013 07:00:24 AM EST

LEOMINSTER -- The Fitchburg boys' basketball team was pushed to the brink by rival Leominster Friday.

After a 3-pointer by Leominster's Jake Allain made it a one-possession game with 18 seconds left, the Red Raiders came through with a pair of clutch free throws and a strong defensive stand, escaping with a 60-55 victory to clinch a spot in the district tournament.

"Leominster has had a tough stretch the last couple of weeks, but they showed a lot of character," Fitchburg (10-5, 5-2 Midland A) head coach Jack Scott said. "They came out and fought and gave us absolutely everything we could handle. They didn't do it in spurts, either, it was pretty consistent all night long, with great ball pressure on our point guards. (They) forced us into some really tough situations."

Turnovers and missed shots hurt Fitchburg during a two-minute stretch late in the game, allowing Leominster to get back within six points thanks to free throws from Addo and a fast-break layup by Neil O'Connor.

Doss came through with a critical hoop with 1:15 remaining when he buried a deep jumper from the corner, which pushed the Fitchburg lead up to 58-50.

"It was a big hoop for Doss," Scott said. "They had just made a run, and that jumper on the baseline stopped it."

Allain sank two free throws with 1:02 left to bring the deficit back down to six. With 30 seconds on the clock, Fitchburg found Thomas Hampton under the basket on an inbound pass.

On a bang-bang play with an aggressive Leominster defender, Hampton missed the layup and Leominster went out in transition. The ball ended up in Allain's hands and he drilled a 3 from the corner, making it 58-55 with 18 seconds left.

"(Allain) had a breakthrough game tonight, and I always knew he had the ability to do it," Leominster head coach Nick Smith said. "We put together a complete game and had a chance to win in the end. We just have to work on our late-game offense going forward."

Following a timeout, Leominster fouled Hampton immediately on the inbound. Hampton then came up clutch, sinking both ends of the 1-and-1 to extend the Fitchburg lead to five.

Fitchburg turned up the defensive pressure in the closing seconds, forcing two wild Leominster shots to ensure the 60-55 victory.

Three-point shooting hurt Leominster in the second half, as the Blue Devils only shot 20 percent on 3 for 15 from beyond the arc.

Fitchburg led by double digits for most of the third, but an 8-2 Leominster run to close the quarter cut the deficit to 49-44. Keying the run was a trey and hoop down low from Addo and an Allain drive.

The Red Raiders outscored Leominster 7-2 to start the fourth quarter. Doss netted a put-back, Mick Snowden drained a trey from the elbow and Geraldo Santiago got a one-handed drive to fall.

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